Its intentional. Theyre in the midst of a fight to convince the public thats the case. For years, they struggled at the multiplex while their blood rival, Marvel, soared. Starting in 2. 00. Marvel pioneered a Hollywood buzz concept known as the cinematic universe a narrative enterprise in which a bunch of individual films are said to exist in the same world, with characters crossing over and lots of buildup to megamovies where the whole gang gets together. Disney owned Marvel has captured billions of eyes and dollars by running that operation with an iron fist Its movies are all tightly linked and its brand image is held in a vise grip. Seeing the success of that model, Warner launched its own shared filmic cosmology with 2. Man of Steel, which did well at the box office but received criticism for its depiction of a brooding Superman who murders someone at the end of the story. Then came 2. 01. 6s grim, gritty, and costly Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice, which drew a harsh critical response and, with a global gross of 8. Marvels 1. 1. 53 billion earner that year, Captain America Civil War. Just a few months later, Suicide Squad earned 7. Rotten Tomatoes. Those speed bumps would be bad enough, but the fact that these DC movies were all part of one interlinked super story made the situation all the more problematic How can you have a successful universe if its individual galaxies arent doing so hotNone of that seems to worry Nelson, and thats partly because DC and Warner have adopted a new strategy Lets rethink that whole universe thing. Theyre not giving up on the idea of continuity, but they want to deemphasize the idea that all of these flicks are occupying the same space. Our intention, certainly, moving forward is using the continuity to help make sure nothing is diverging in a way that doesnt make sense, but theres no insistence upon an overall story line or interconnectivity in that universe, says Nelson, drawing nods from the top brass around her. This new approach already has a test case, and, by any measure, it was a successful one Wonder Woman outearned every other movie this summer while scoring a 9. Rotten Tomatoes higher than nearly every Marvel movie. And one of the keys, as Nelson and her execs saw it, was the fact that it more or less told the viewer to ignore the rest of the universe and just focus on what was in front of them. On Monday, the Tax Policy Center released a new analysis of the House tax bill that disproves claims from GOP. None of that seems to worry Nelson, and thats partly because DC and Warner have adopted a new strategy Lets rethink that whole universe thing. Batman-Beyond-12-with-Batgirl-Beyond-banner-e1497913703211.jpg?resize=920%2C472&ssl=1' alt='Dc New 52 Week 27 Of 2017' title='Dc New 52 Week 27 Of 2017' />There was a tiny nod to Batman v Superman, but that was it. The movies not about another movie, says Johns. Some of the movies do connect the characters together, like Justice League. But, like with Aquaman one of their next efforts, out in 2. Aquaman to every movie. As Nelson puts it, Moving forward, youll see the DC movie universe being a universe, but one that comes from the heart of the filmmaker whos creating them. One of the centerpieces of this new, decentralized strategy is an as yet unnamed side label of occasional movies that are completely separate from everything else, set entirely outside the cinematic universe. Total stand alones based on good ideas from big name filmmakers. Movies that are just movies, not components of a larger piece of clockwork. The first one theyre talking about is a solo outing about supervillain the Joker, set to be directed and co written by The Hangover and War Dogs alumnus Todd Phillips. Johns says theyll be announcing the name of of this side label soon ish. That all may be welcome news for critics who felt that previous DC outings were too tied up in world building, but it wont single handedly clobber the pessimistic chatter Warners superheroes face. While DC Entertainment has experienced tremendous success in TV, comics, and games, when it comes to film, they still have a huge issue with public perception. But they think theyre turning a corner. The approach Warner and DC are now implementing at the cineplex is not one they came to easily, nor is it one they hammered out solely as a reaction to movie backlash. It arrived after nearly a decade of growth, missteps, and careful corporate maneuvering. If the story of DC Entertainments rise were a comic book, it might be one of those comics starring an unlikely pairing of mismatched protagonists. Call them Geek Lad and Executive Woman. Johns is every inch an ber nerd, having read comics his entire life and practically memorized whole reams of them Nelson had hardly ever lifted a comic book prior to getting her current job. Johns is eternally in the public eye, cheerily giving interviews to even the flimsiest geek blogs to tout the company line Nelson rarely talks to journalists and mostly operates in the background. Johns built a career as a DC Comics writer after getting his first gig there in 1. Nelson navigated Warners C suite and distinguished herself by managing the companys Harry Potter brand. But in the pivotal year of 2. Warner by Marvel. Up until that point, Batman had brought great treasure to Warner, most recently in the form of Christopher Nolans Batman Begins 2. The Dark Knight 2.